The only problem we had was traveling through Toronto. Long lines and delays caused us to miss our connecting flight. They rebooked us for a flight later that evening. We spent 2 full days in airports. Our luggage was so damaged, all 4 checked luggage! Had to put in a claim to Delta. Delta also lost 1 suitcase which was found and transferred to the first Port, but I spent 3 days with no clothes and underwear! Princess gave me a $150 onboard credit to buy clothes, but they don't sell underwear on the ship. I was forced to handwash my underwear nightly until I got my luggage. Also, the only reason my lost suitcase made it to the ship at the first port is because my husband flipped out on the guest service staff 3 hours before we left port. They sent someone to the airport to pick it up and I got it just before we left port. We spent the first couple of days sleeping because of the missed connecting flight and spending 2 days in airports without sleep. Once I got my missing luggage, we were able to relax and enjoy the cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy and fast
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Buffet was great, lots of good choices. MDR was too busy and loud, we only used MDR once. They stuffed us at a small table for 2 along the wall under bright lights. We were uncomfortable in the MDR. The Crown Grill was fantastic and worth the extra money. Did not like Sabatinis, extra cost was not worth it, food choices were not very good and would not book there again. Loved the International Cafe.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Watched football under the stars but didn't really do activities onboard.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Liked the entertainment. The Explorers lounge was great. We were sick of the push for shopping and jewelry though. Should have checked out more of the entertainment, but found ourselves too tired from excursions and stuffed from dinner. The New Years Eve party by the pool was fantastic.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Great although there was one crabby server at the International Cafe. I thought maybe she was having a bad day, but she remained that way throughout the voyage.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very clean, big partially covered balcony. Thought the bed was a little too soft. Both of us ended up with back pain and we think it was from the bed. It would have been nice to have 2 chairs, but space is limited for that. Bathroom shower a little too small.
Ship tip
Travel a day in advance and buy travel insurance. We were delayed in Toronto and missed our connecting flight. We spent 2 days in airports getting to Fort Lauderdale and could not cancel our hotel room. We lost the money for the hotel booking since we didn't have insurance. We made it to the ship only because we left a day early! Pre-book excursions and specialty dining. We did this a I was very happy that I did that in advance
Did an excursion to Ffryes Beach which included lunch and 1 alcoholic beverage. Lunch was local Caribbean food and was delicious. The beach was not too crowded, came with beach chairs and we paid $10 for an umbrella. The water was clam and warm. Loved this beach the best!
Went on the Culinary Excursion and tour of Fairview house. They cooked authentic Caribbean food for us. It was delicious and also provided the recipes.
Beautiful place, are visited Boka Tabla. Got some beautiful pictures. Stopped by Knip Beach which is beautiful. Visited a museum that showed how slaves lived after they were freed. It was very interesting.
Did and excursion to De Palm Island which included food (hamburger, hotdogs, chicken nuggets, and fries), drinks were also I included. The beach was ok , sand an rocks. Needed water shoes. It was really windy and the water was rough. I wasnt really impressed with this excursion. I expected more from Aruba.
Easy and fast, we were off the ship and into our airport transfer bus really fast. Wish we could have used EZ Check for pe luggage, but couldn't because Delta airlines is the only airline that doesn't participate in EZ Check for international destinations. We leave our luggage out the night before and picked it up at the Fort Lauderdale airport to check it in ourselves.
Toronto is the worst! I don't understand why airlines have it as a stop over with any time less than 2.5 hours, especially coming from Canada to the US. You need at least that amount of time just to cross the entire airport to get to the international flights, and then you have to go through security AGAIN, and then line up for US Customs. There were 3 families in line about to miss their flight, and they came 3 hours early. We did it once and will never do it again. Now if we have to have a stop over we make sure it's in the US. Then we have already gone through Customs leaving Canada and don't have to go through security again.
Glad your luggage finally caught up to you and you then enjoyed the cruise.
Always travel so you arrive at least one, and preferably two days in advance to allow for delays. Also always get a good travel insurance policy that covers not only delays and the cost of the trip, but medical and medical evacuation as well. A medical issue needing evacuation can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
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